Hearing such a name, you immediately need to be baptized and get away from sin. But this is scary only at first glance, but in fact such a strange name was possessed by the first famous Old Russian scribe, a priest of the 11th century, who lived in Veliky Novgorod.
Book copyist
Our history begins with the erection in Novgorod of an outstanding monument of ancient Russian architecture - St. Sophia Cathedral. The initiator of its construction was Prince Vladimir Yaroslavovich, however, he did it at the behest of his father, Prince of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise. The construction lasted five years: from 1045 to 1050. The church was consecrated by Bishop Luke (Luka Zhidyata), a Russian priest, whom Yaroslav the Wise had chosen to succeed the Greek bishop of Novgorod Joachim. The prince did it against the recommendations of the Constantinople clergy. Luke, the first bishop of Russian origin, is revered as a saint, he is also known as the author of the first Russian work of spiritual literature, "A Teaching to the Brethren."
The construction of such a temple required high responsibility and control. And Yaroslav the Wise himself arrived in Novgorod with his wife Ingigerda, the daughter of King Olaf Shetkonung of Sweden. For the construction of the first stone church in the city, craftsmen arrived not only from Kiev, but also from other countries, including Byzantium.
Prince Yaroslav the Wise.
Books were also prepared for the temple library. Until the time of the first printer Ivan Fedorov, there were still 500 long years, and the priests were publishing books, rewriting them. For Prince Vladimir, the son of Yaroslav the Wise, the prophetic books of the Old Testament were rewritten with the interpretations of Theodoret of Kirsky "Explanatory Prophets" Unfortunately, the original manuscript has not survived, but has come down to us in lists. And we know about the time of work and the author thanks to one of the postscripts: "It’s too late to write in the summer of 6555 (1047), May 14, and the end of the same summer, December 19 at 19. Az pop Oupir Likhi.
It is known that the "Tale of Bygone Years" dates from 1110-1118 years. "The oldest collection of chronicles" refers to 1037, which is ten years older than the correspondence of the Novgorod priest. Unfortunately, it cannot be regarded as a monument, since it cannot be distinguished from the text of the Tale of Bygone Years.
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Ghoul Dashing can rightfully be considered the first in Russian book writing, and also the first who left recommendations for readers and the first afterword to the book, in which the author told when and why he did this work.
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod.
The dates indicated in the Ghoul's postscript are an indisputable fact of the existence of ancient Russian books long before the famous Ostromir Gospel, which is considered the first Russian manuscript book. And one more thing: the book was written in Cyrillic from the original Glagolitic, which confirms the final transition of Russia to the Cyrillic alphabet. We have confirmation that it was under Yaroslav the Wise that his schools of "book teaching" contributed to this.
Why Ghoul?
The reader has the right to ask, why is an Orthodox priest suddenly Dashing Ghoul? There are several versions about the origin of the name. The Swedish scientist Anders Sheberg believes that in the retinue of the Swedish princess Ingigerda, who became the wife of Yaroslav the Wise in 1019, there was a certain Swedish preacher Epirus Unguarded (Courageous, Daring, Untrustworthy). During his time in Novgorod, which is about 30 years, he turned from a preacher into an Orthodox priest, a copyist of church books. Over time, his name (nickname) was Russified. So Epirus turned into a Ghoul, and several versions of the translation of the Scandinavian nickname - into one Russian word "dashing". Epirus returned to his homeland after the death of Princess Ingigerda and her son Vladimir.
But there is another version - a more prosaic one. Scientists believe that the word "dashing" is not part of the name, but only the adjective "deprived" (or sinful, unworthy), as the scribes called themselves derogatory in their records.
Assignment of the priest Ghoul Dashing, a copy of the beginning of the 16th century. from the manuscript of 1047. Trinity collection of the RSL No. 89 (fol. 262).
The secret of the Novgorod priest Ghoul Dashing, a copyist of church books, remains a Novgorod legend for the time being. The Novgorod land constantly reveals its secrets to us in the form of birch bark letters and other artifacts. We hope that the truth will end up in the hands of historians.